New Message
by Luna Darkside
Summary: While Kaito usually mocked Hakuba for his paranoia, this time he was glad the blond detective was always so suspicious. Otherwise, Kaito would've never met Shinichi, after all. /ShinKai, oneshot, complete/


_Oh, look. Another oneshot and not a _Gem of a Person _update. *shot*_

_Things that might deter you from reading: Uh... grammar errors, super-sweet fluff, and a ton of OOC-ness?_

_About the actual story: happens in an AU where Conan never happened/Kaito and Shinichi haven't met and contains playfulflirt!Kaito, & deadpansnarker!Shinichi. Hope you like this, because I did sort of try. (Sort of.)_

_And. Just a warning. I suck at writing witty banter. Probably because I'm not witty myself. Enjoy! - Luna_

**New Message**

He had finally obtained it.

Kuroba Kaito had finally, _finally _obtained it.

Hakuba Saguru's cell phone number.

His classmate had been safeguarding his cell phone number with a special ferocity ever since he had met Kaito – for obvious reasons. Who knew what Kaito would do with that kind of information? Writing it on bathroom walls would probably be the least of it.

But the day had come. Lady Luck had smiled on him.

Kaito cackled with glee as he glanced at Nakamori Aoko's phone, which he had stolen only moments earlier before barricading himself in his bedroom. Hakuba's contact information was spread across the screen, written in black-and-white for the devious magician, and Kaito was quite prepared to send the detective enough creepy texts to put him in an early grave.

"Kaito! Give me back my phone!" screeched Aoko from the other side of his door, making Kaito jump and glance fearfully over at his door. He hadn't expected her to realize her phone was missing so soon…

He hurriedly opened a blank message on his own phone, and, meticulously copying Hakuba's number into the address box (the violent thumps and pounding emanating from his door were becoming a little distracting), typed out his first message:

_Hi darling~! It's me! We're meeting up for dinner tonight, right? Should I wear the you-know-what for afterwards? Ooh, I can't wait till then! *wink & kiss*_

The grin on his face growing to slightly disturbing proportions, Kaito hit the send button just as his door gave out and Aoko charged in, red-faced and sweating. Grabbing her phone off Kaito's desk, her jaw dropped.

"What did you send him?!" she bellowed, and Kaito, cowering slightly due to the fact that she had cornered him, didn't move as she swept up his phone and read the text.

Blushing furiously, she scowled at Kaito. "You idiot Kaito!" she yelled, trying to hit him as he dodged and evaded as fast as he could. "What were you trying to do?!"

"Just play around with Sagu-chan a little," Kaito cooed, momentarily forgetting he was facing the aforementioned (aforemocked?) "Sagu-chan"'s extremely angry girlfriend.

(He cringed once he remembered.)

Instead of getting even angrier, Aoko just let out a sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead wearily. "Idiot Kaito, it's not that. It's just that…"

* * *

Kudou Shinichi was _not _having fun.

Not having fun at all.

Mouri Ran, his girlfriend of precisely one year, four months, and ten days, sent him a glare that could probably set a good number of forests on fire. Her pretty lavender eyes were puffy and bloodshot, testifying to the fact that she had been crying for the better part of the two hours she had been confronting him.

– Well, if one could accurately describe verbally abusing (and occasionally physically abusing) her (ex?)boyfriend as "confronting."

She was giving him a brief reprieve as she took a second to catch her breath after a particularly long string of reasons regarding why Shinichi was a terrible person.

Shinichi enjoyed the silence while it lasted, shifting uncomfortably in his chair and despising that he couldn't exactly fight back without only enraging her further. _Damn it…_

He knew his relationship with Ran had been gradually drawing to a close for the past few months, but he hadn't expected it to be quite _this _explosive. While he understood Ran well enough to know that she could be rather volatile when upset over something, he also knew that she usually ran out of steam within a couple of minutes.

Er – he had before today, at least.

Having finally succeeded in regulating her breathing, Ran opened her mouth to begin yet another rant on how much she hated him – but suddenly Shinichi's phone went off, and he internally grit his teeth. _Talk about bad timing…_

"Um…" Shinichi said softly, unsure of how to response. Steely-eyed, Ran gave a sharp nod, and Shinichi dug out his phone.

And instantly paled at the text displayed on the screen.

Seeing his reaction, Ran snapped, "What is it? Let me see."

Shinichi shrunk back. "Um…"

Eyes narrowing, Ran snatched the phone out of his hand, despite his protests, and read the text with an expression of irritation.

The sound of her palm connecting with his cheek could be heard for miles, along with her fierce, "_What the hell, Shinichi?!" _and the sound of a door slamming shut.

* * *

Kaito and Aoko sat in silence for a minute.

"…Oh."

"'Oh' is right."

"…The contact information listed under 'Hakuba Saguru' is actually just some random stuff that Hakuba told you to put instead of his actual information in case I stole your phone and tried to use it in order to get his number?"

"Yep."

Glancing down at his phone tentatively, Kaito stammered, "S-So whose number is that actually?"

Aoko shrugged. "I don't know. I think Saguru just put some random numbers that looked like a cell phone number." Shaking her head slowly, she exited his room, cell phone in hand. "Look, Kaito, I'm going to go home now. Have fun with your new… friend."

"What kind of paranoid freak _does _that?" Kaito grumbled, pressing his cheek against his desk. "I really hate your boyfriend, you know that?" he called after his childhood friend as her footsteps receded.

"I'll be sure to tell him," replied Aoko distantly, and Kaito heard his front door shut.

Kaito stood about and was about to leave his room himself when his cell phone buzzed. He froze for a full twenty seconds of mental spazzing before diving over and checking his texts for fear he was going to be hunted down and murdered for offending some yakuza leader. What awaited him sent his eyebrows up, however.

_If my cheekbone is broken because of you, you're paying for the medical fees._

Kaito was rolling his eyes, grinning, before he knew it. While he was glad his text didn't cause _that _much trouble – although it seemed that some guy's girlfriend had read it and gotten the wrong idea – he found it equal parts strange and amusing that the man seemed to find some kind of humor in the situation.

Sitting back down, Kaito quickly replied with, _Uh… can I just kiss it better?_

He took his phone with him as he walked to his kitchen, intent on finding some sort of edible substance to eat. It gave a faint _bzzt, _and Kaito tore his attention away from the refrigerator to check with his left hand.

_I'm guessing this isn't actually someone's girlfriend, is it?_

Deftly tapping out his message ("_Really, what gave it away?_") one-handedly, Kaito rooted through the vegetable drawer (finding nothing but, well, vegetables) and was starting on the freezer section when yet another text arrived. Damn, whoever Kaito was texting was a fast responder.

_Maybe it was the "uh" and the implications of "intimate healing," maybe._

Discovering – with no small amount of delight – that someone had left him half a carton of chocolate ice cream, Kaito answered, _I suppose that makes sense. Aren't you an intelligent form of life._

Kaito had just found a spoon and was popping the lid off the ice cream when it came again: _Yes, yes I am. Anyway. May I have the pleasure of knowing what brought on your earlier message?_

"Arrogant much?" Kaito rolled his eyes as he responded, _I was attempting to prank someone and I had the wrong number. Sorry to disturb you, although you seem fine with it._

_Do I now?_

Spoon halfway to his mouth, Kaito set it down. _Yes, you do. Not many would venture to reply to a text like the one I sent you._

_Well, I'm not like many, so that makes sense. _

Good God, Kaito could _hear _the egotistical smirk in the words. He could almost picture it: some attractive, dark-haired guy (Kaito was getting a little ahead of himself, wasn't he? he had no idea who he was texting, let alone what they looked like) sitting around texting him these snarky comments, believing his recipient was some teenage girl. Kaito smiled devilishly – it would be fun to mess with this guy, actually. He typed out, _You're *definitely* not like many, that's for sure._

Setting down his phone with a satisfied smirk, Kaito set about continuing his ice cream consumption, casting his mobile a few glances now and again. There was a long pause for a few minutes before a reply text came.

_Are you… trying to… *flirt*_ _with me?_

"Found out already?" Kaito beamed evilly and texted back, _Stop it, you're making me blush!_

The response was startling. _Like hell I am. You're a guy, aren't you?_

Nearly dropping his spoon, Kaito gaped at the screen before hurrying to reread his previous messages. _How'd he know?! I used all gender-neutral pronouns and didn't say anything even _remotely _masculine!_

Disconcerted, he texted back, _How'd you know?_

The answer?

_I do now, don't I?_

At the smug response, Kaito nearly began banging his head against the table before returning, _Well played, good sir. Well played._

* * *

Shinichi's eyes flitted across the message.

_How are you today, darling~?_

Smirking, he replied, _I was better before you texted, thank you. You?_

_How cold. As for me, I'm fantastic._

_Is there a specific reason? Did you prank text someone else?_

_Look, I'm sorry about that. I already apologized, you know._

_Your text cost me my relationship, so I'm entitled to a few comments. At least._

_Your reply cost me my sanity, so I'm entitled to defend myself. At least._

_Have I mentioned how much my cheek hurts recently?_

_You have now._

_Oh, really?_

"Oi, Kudou, who are you texting with that idiotic grin on your face?"

Shinichi continued staring at his phone for a few more seconds before realizing that his best friend had broken off in the middle of his typical Osaka vs. Tokyo rant to ask him something. Blinking, he peeled his eyes away and focused them on the tan detective. "Sorry, could you say that again?"

Hattori Heiji, who was sitting across from Shinichi as they shared lunch at Poirot while Kazuha and Ran had a "girl talk" upstairs, sent him a wounded look. "Y'know, Kudou, I'm starting to think you don't care about me as much as your new girl," he said, wearing a sad pout.

Shinichi's eyebrows jerked up as he reached for his coffee cup. "New girl? What are you _talking _about, Hattori?"

Leaning onto his palm, Hattori grinned. "Aren't you having a hot conversation over text with some girl?"

Having just taken a sip of coffee, Shinichi nearly choked to death as he spluttered, barely managing to get out a, "What?!" as he did so. Hattori watched on, amused.

Finally collecting himself, Shinichi reiterated, "What?" in a slightly calmer tone.

"Got your attention, did I?" Hattori beamed. "So tell me about her. What's up?"

"Her? Hattori, there is no 'her,'" disagreed Shinichi, disgruntled as he picked up his sandwich again.

"Don't try to lie," Hattori sang. "I'm a detective, you know. How'd you meet her? What's her name? Is she pretty?" Leaning conspiratorially across the table, he added, "And hey… don't you think it's a bit early to be finding a new girl? You and Ran broke up only two weeks ago, after all. Kazuha and I would've come sooner to provide moral support after the breakup, but I was at a kendo tournament."

Pressing his thumb and index finger into the inner corners of his eyes, Shinichi sighed. "No. Seriously, Hattori, it's not a girl. It's a guy."

There was a short pause before Hattori shakily began, "Kudou, I didn't know you swing that way…"

"No!" snapped Shinichi, rolling his eyes at his friend's denseness. "I'm not, like, _sexting _him or anything! We're just having a _conversation_ like normal people do!"

Hattori shrugged pensively, blatantly disregarding him. "Hey, I promise I won't judge you, Kudou. Although it would explain why you broke up with Ran even though she's so pretty…"

"_Hattori._"

Throwing his hands up in surrender, Hattori said, "Kudou. Calm down. It's just that you're never that happy just talking to someone, so I thought there was something going on."

"Never that happy talking to someone?" Shinichi sat blinking before Hattori rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Kudou. I guess I just won't question you… or your sexuality."

"Hattori, _shut up_."

* * *

Kaito was panting madly as he swerved around Touto Tower, zooming past the startled faces behind the observation deck glass and into the midnight blue sky. Today's heist had been incredibly difficult, considering that some random detective had popped up and provided a surprising amount of resistance. What was his name again? Ku – Kurata? Kuroi? It was something that started with a Ku, he was sure…

He had landed at the end his street and quickly changed out of the flashy Kid uniform when he felt a now very familiar buzz against his hip and internally smiled. Pulling the phone from his pocket, Kaito read the new text: _Damn. Tonight was rough._

Quirking an eyebrow, Kaito replied, _Is that some kind of innuendo? _as he opened his front door.

The response came within minutes, as Kaito went to his room to begin getting ready for bed. _Do you want it to be one? ;) …But no, I just chased some guy around for a ridiculously long time. Sorry to disappoint._

Kaito shook his head in amusement as he plopped down on his bed. _Sounds like a workout. And sorry to ditch you, but I'm heading to bed now._

_Ooooh, *bed*. Have fun!_

_I will ;D._

_Sleep well. Night._

_Good night._

Setting down his phone on his bedside table and plugging it in, Kaito had turned off the lights and was on the verge of slumber when a thought occurred to him.

_Chasing some guy? _

– _No, he couldn't mean that._

And he went to sleep.

* * *

_Good morning, beautiful~!_

_Aren't you flirtatious this morning. So how're you doing?_

_I'm fantastic, since I'm talking to you! *heart*_

_Somehow I don't feel like you're being sincere. I wonder why?_

"Kuroba, cell phones aren't allowed to be out at school."

Hitting the send button on his last message (_Very good question. I don't know)_, Kaito peered up from his phone to find a frowning Hakuba Saguru glaring down at him. "Oh. Bastard. Hi."

Bristling at the derogatory term, Hakuba cast a disparaging look at Kaito's phone. "May I ask who you're texting with such a terrifying expression?"

"Huh?" Kaito's hand instantly raced to his chin to trace his mouth. "What are you talking about?"

"You looked really… happy. In a way that means someone is either going to get injured or humiliated," Hakuba informed him, shifting uncomfortably. (Usually the person getting injured or humiliated was him, after all.) "So who were you texting?"

"M~y, aren't you curious, Sagu-chan?"

"Shut up. Who was it?"

Kaito leaned back in his chair, smiling his usual demonically innocent smile. "Oh stop it, Sagu-chan! I was texting _you _of course!" His grin only widened at the confused and vaguely horrified expression that spread across the detective's face.

Suddenly a hand came out of nowhere and smacked the back of Kaito's head, making him whimper and glare at his assailant, who was none other than Nakamori Aoko. "Don't worry, Saguru, he's texting the number that's set as yours on my phone," she consoled an extremely relieved Hakuba.

"Oh. I see. But why?"

Aoko shrugged. "I don't know either. He hasn't been letting me see the texts either."

Hakuba eyed the magician, who was now humming cheerfully and beaming as he sent yet another message to the number. "You think it's a girl?"

"What? Why do you say that?" Aoko stared at her boyfriend, who ran a hand through his blond hair rather bashfully.

"Well…" Hakuba paused awkwardly before leaning forward to whisper into Aoko's ear. "…he sort of seems like he's in love, if you ask me."

* * *

Normally Shinichi didn't mind Christmastime at all – in fact, he usually enjoyed it – but this year, as he sat in his favorite café (a tiny hole-in-the-wall tucked away amongst the clusters of stores near his house) he was feeling rather depressed.

Through the café window, he could see the masses of couples flocking down the sidewalks and heading for jewelry stores to pick out presents for each other. Last year Shinichi had been one of them – one of those bright-eyed, starstruck people who were currently making his heart drop – since he'd had Ran to be all affectionate with.

And now he had no one.

Draining his cup of espresso, Shinichi let out an audible sigh, hating himself for being so affected by the love in the air. _This is stupid, _he declared as he planted his chin on the heel of his hand. _There are _always _couples around. Christmastime just makes them more visible._

The thoughts didn't help his loneliness at all.

He was dismally watching snowflakes flutter through the air when his phone beeped and Shinichi started. The screen was blinking with a fresh text from his mysterious friend:

_Hey there._

Shinichi reached for it to type back a response.

_Hi. Feeling as awful as I am?_

The answer came less than a minute later:

_What?! Are you sick?!_

A smile broke out across Shinichi's face before he was even aware of it. "What's with that reaction?" he laughed softly.

_So you do_ _care. But no, that's not it._

_Damn. I thought I'd finally be rid of you._

_Oh please. You_

Shinichi stopped typing. He had been about to write _You know you love me, _but for some reason, he didn't want to even joke about having someone who loved him right now if it wasn't true.

Swallowing, he continued,

_Oh please. Like you'd ever be able to get rid of me._

Looking up after sending the text, he accidentally witnessed a beautiful girl walk by with an equally beautiful man on her arm. They were laughing so picture-perfectly it almost hurt.

Shinichi's phone beeped.

_True enough. So what do you mean by "awful"?_

Finding his cup dry and flagging down a waitress for a refill, Shinichi explained, _Is it just me or are the streets filled with couples and people being annoyingly lovey-dovey?_

A minute later:

…_Is that unexpected? It's Christmastime, after all._

Pausing to think about how exactly he wanted to phrase his feelings (and wondering if he should actually do that – this was, after all, some person he'd never met in the flesh), Shinichi haltingly replied, _Yes, but I still… I don't know. It's just hitting me now that I don't have anyone to spend Christmas with._

Shinichi flinched as he burned his tongue on his coffee. Rolling his tongue in hopes of soothing the sensation, he checked his phone and found another text. _Don't be ridiculous. What about your parents, siblings? Friends, even?_

_My parents are spending the entire month of December in Paris. And I don't have any siblings. _Shinichi paused for a second before adding, _And my friends are all paired off into couples. I don't want to be the awkward third wheel._

_So… you're alone? Don't you have a new girlfriend by now?_

_I don't, no thanks to you. I've been too busy texting for me to seriously consider anyone._

Sending the message, Shinichi sat in peace for a long moment that stretched into a long minute, then a long five minutes. He looked down at his phone, concerned. Usually their conversations didn't drop so abruptly…

His phone jerked, and Shinichi sighed in relief, picking it up.

_I'm sorry._

Raising an eyebrow at the strangely heartfelt words (they weren't anything like the sarcastic _Oh dear, I'm so, SO sorry _he had been expecting), Shinichi briskly answered, _Don't worry about it. If I actually cared about not having a girlfriend, I would've ditched you long ago, after all._

There was another long pause that had Shinichi frowning before the response came.

_Well, since I ruined your perfect Christmas, I can fix it, too. If you'll let me, that is._

"What does he mean by that?" Shinichi asked aloud, causing his waitress to glance at him in slight concern. Giving her a reassuring nod, he returned his attention to his phone to text back, _By which you mean…?_

_I'll spend Christmastime with you._

Shinichi's heart nearly stopped. _You want to meet up?!_

_NO. I just mean… I'll pretend to be there with you, you know? To be completely honest, I don't actually have anyone either. My friends are paired off, my parent's not around, and my… caretaker took a much-needed vacation._

Wondering if "parent's" was a typo – did he mean "parents aren't" or did he actually only have one parent? – Shinichi, in an attempt to bring back their usual teasing atmosphere, typed, _But what if you're not my type?_

_Sorry, did you just imply that you have a type?_

_Of course I have a type – female._

_I apologize for my gender and I will have no problem leaving you alone for Christmas._

Shinichi's fingers were flying to type _NoI'msosorrypleasedon't _before he realized it. He had to sigh at his strange fascination with his unknown texting buddy.

_Okay then. What's up… uh… You know, I don't know your name._

_And I don't know yours._

_Fine, you can call me K._

_Then you can call me S._

_That works. What can you see, S-chan?_

_The "-chan" is completely unnecessary, K._

_What, imagining me saying your name with "-chan" attached is making you blush, isn't it?_

_No. And I can see a street full of happy couples and snow falling while I have an awful conversation with some stranger over text._

_That's a terrible thing to say, S! We're no strangers anymore!_

_How long have we known each other?_

_We've been texting each other for over three months. Time flies, doesn't it?_

_I'm not sure how I should be responding to that._

_Respond with, "Yes, K-sama, it does!"_

_Hell no._

_You're no fun at all. Anyway, since you didn't ask like the dreadful man you are, all I can see right now is some snow out the window and a woman walking down the street. Oh, she's gone now._

_How interesting. You should paint a picture of it for me._

_Ha ha no. But I *will* send you a picture, just because it's pretty and I'm nice._

The picture that Shinichi received a minute later was taken out of someone's bedroom window and depicted a white-blanketed street as snow drifted downwards in lazy waves.

He had to smile – the absolute normality of the picture was what made it beautiful in his mind.

…

…

(And if he was honest, maybe because it was from K.)

* * *

_You know, we've known each other for a long time now, haven't we?_

Kaito stared down at the text, holding his cup of tea in midair as he arched an eyebrow. _Um, yes? Your point being…?_

It had now been over half a year since Kaito had accidentally texted S for the first time. December and January had flown by in a whirlwind of texts and dangerous heists (that damn detective whose name he still hadn't bothered to find out!), and now it was February. Kaito inwardly sighed, remembering how they had kept each other company over text for both Christmas and New Years. It was sort of sweet, in a strange way.

And Kaito would _never_ admit it to anyone, much less to S himself, but whenever he was feeling lonely for any reason – usually because Aoko and Hakuba were out on a date and S was busy with whatever his job was – he would go back and reread those holiday texts. He nearly had then memorized by now…

He went back to his inbox and scrolled up until he located the tail end of the holiday texts, which were almost nauseatingly sincere (in the best way possible).

_So I guess I should thank you, K._

_? Why?_

_Well, if it wasn't for you, I'd be all alone this holiday season._

_It was nothing, S._

_To me it wasn't. That's probably the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me, spending an entire week texting a stranger when they could be out partying with friends. So thank you and I_

…_Yes? You what?_

_It's nothing. I'll tell you later. Happy New Year, K._

_Happy New Year, S. And you're welcome._

Kaito wearing a slightly dreamy (_what the hell?_) smile when he suddenly realized that somewhere between the fifth and sixth text he'd reread, he'd gotten another text from S. Putting down his tea on his desk, he scrolled back down and read it:

_And I have something I'd like to tell you._

_So tell me._

_It's kind of serious, so…_

A slash mark appearing between his eyebrows, Kaito blinked until the implications of what S had said sunk in.

_You want to meet in person?!_

_Good to see you caught on. I was afraid I'd have to tell you in black-and-white._

_You. Want. To. Meet. In. Person?!_

_Yes, and I'll be sure to bring a grammar textbook that includes how to correctly punctuate, just for you. What do you think?_

Kaito swallowed. Sure, over the months he had _wondered _what S was like in person, but with the way his heart had just sped up, he was pretty sure meeting him would end with him dying of a heart attack.

Forcing down his thumping heartbeat, he responded, _Sorry, I'll have to pass._

_Is there a specific reason?_

_My heart rate just skyrocketed at the horrifying suggestion, so I believe meeting you would cause a cardiac arrest. I'd like to live to see my grandchildren, so…_

_...Just meet me. Don't worry about that. Let's meet at the Poirot café underneath the Mouri Detective Agency on the fourteenth. I'll wear blue, you wear red. Got it?_

_What? Do I have to?_

_Do you want to hear what I was going to say?_

_Kind of, but that's beside the point._

_So be there and I'll tell you. The fourteenth and red. I have to go to work now because somebody just… okay, never mind. See you on the fourteenth, okay?_

Kaito gaped at the screen, completely floored by what had just transpired.

* * *

…Why was he here again?

Kaito pressed his face into his hand to muffle the groan he felt coming. No matter how he had protested, S hadn't listened and ended their conversation last night with, _See you tomorrow. One's good for you, right?_

He wondered why he had actually shown up, and wearing a red shirt, nonetheless.

A short-haired waitress approached him tentatively, clutching a silver tray against her apron-clad stomach. "Sir, would you like anything?" she asked, frowning slightly as she gazed at him.

"Uh, I'll have coffee," Kaito told her before inquiring, "Is there anything on my face?"

She jumped. "Oh, um, no, it's just that you look like someone else." She glanced over at a table across the room, ducking her head. "I was just thinking maybe you two were related." Bowing hurriedly, she fled, blushing.

"Strange girl." Kaito shrugged off his momentary confusion. He surveyed the café, paying special attention to the table the girl had focused on. He nearly died at the person sitting there.

It was that detective! That one who had been making his heists more difficult!

Kaito flinched just as the man, seeming to sense Kaito watching, turned and made eye contact – blue met indigo. His eyes widened, as did Kaito's, and he disengaged quickly, staring down at his table with a hammering heart. _Oh God. This is really, really bad._

"Excuse me?"

Jerking his head up, Kaito was just in time to witness the detective sitting down across from him, holding a few packages.

_Really, really, _really _bad._

"Y-Yes? Hi?" stammered Kaito, bolting upright.

The man leaned in, all sparkling tanzanite eyes, perfect pale skin, and messy dark fringe, and asked, "I'm guessing you're the Kaitou Kid, aren't you? You look just like him, minus the hat and monocle."

Kaito gulped, hearing blood rushing through his ears. _Damn, this guy is sharp. Is it really that obvious?_

The man had continued on regardless of Kaito's reaction, and it took Kaito a second to comprehend what he else he had said.

"And you're K as well."

"What?!" Kaito half-shouted, staring at the detective wide-eyed. "That would mean that you're… _you're_…"

S – _that damn detective_ – nodded, lifting an eyebrow calmly as he motioned down at his dark blue button-up. "Yes, I'm S."

Kaito was openly gawking at him now. "For over six months, I've been texting the _bane of my existence_?"

Feigning offense, S said, "How rude. How can you call me the bane of your existence after all this time?"

Staring at him for a second – yes, he was definitely S, after all – Kaito sighed. "Let's get on with it." He stuck out his wrists, eliciting a puzzled eyebrow raise from S.

"Get on with what?"

"You know, arresting me?"

S's eyebrow didn't move. "And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm a criminal," hissed Kaito. "And here I was thinking you were a smart guy," he muttered.

"I'm not going to turn you in," S blinked, staring at Kaito like _he _was the mentally disturbed one. "That's ridiculous."

"Huh? Why? Weren't you all intent on catching me?" Kaito tilted his head at him, baffled.

"Well, yes, but that was before I knew you were K." S leaned forward on knitting fingers, grinning. "I don't really mind, actually. Your heists are pretty entertaining, anyway."

"Thanks," Kaito said, at a loss. "Um… you said there was something you wanted to tell me?"

S nodded. "First off, though." He picked up one of the packages resting on his lap and slid it across the table to Kaito, grinning.

It took Kaito a second to realize what it was: a grammar textbook. He glared at S. "Wow, thanks _ever _so much."

"Chapter ten is on punctuation, if that's helpful," S added cheerfully, earning himself a glare from Kaito.

"So what's the thing you wanted to tell me?" prompted Kaito, clenching his fist in an attempt to slow his racing heart as he set aside the book. While they were conversing the same comfortable way they texted, somehow seeing S's physical smile and his azure eyes were making him feel strange.

Shifting slightly, S pushed out a hard breath. "If I told you there was something I wanted to give you as well, would you mind?"

Kaito shook his head. "As long as I don't end up dead or dying because of it, I'm fine."

S smiled shakily, and if Kaito didn't know better, he'd think that S was nervous as he picked up the other parcel on his lap and handed it to Kaito.

This time it was an elegant white box streaked with gold, and Kaito raised his eyebrows at S with a grin. "What's this?"

"Maybe opening it would answer that," suggested S.

Kaito scowled at him and lifted the lid off the box. His jaw dropped at what awaited him. Three rows of carefully crafted chocolates lined the box, clearly handmade but still perfect nonetheless. Upon closer inspection, there were words on them. Kaito leaned in to read the impeccable script.

The first one of the first row read _If my cheekbone is broken because of you, you're paying for the medical fees._

The second: _Well, I'm not like many, so that makes sense. _

The third: _Are you… trying to… *flirt* with me?_

The fourth: _You're a guy, aren't you?_

The fifth: _Your text cost me my relationship, so I'm entitled to a few comments. At least._

The sixth:_ Sleep well. Night._

The seventh: _Somehow I don't feel like you're being sincere. I wonder why?_

The eighth: _So you do_ _care._

The ninth: _Like you'd ever be able to get rid of me._

The tenth: _Well, if it wasn't for you, I'd be all alone this holiday season._

Slightly bewildered, Kaito stopped reading for a second to look up at S, who was watching him with an indecipherable expression.

"Go on."

He did.

_Hi darling~! It's me! We're meeting up for dinner tonight, right? Should I wear the you-know-what for afterwards? Ooh, I can't wait till then! *wink & kiss* _(Kaito flushed and wondered how S had managed to fit all of that onto the chocolate.)

_You're *definitely* not like many, that's for sure._

_Well played, good sir. Well played._

_How are you today, darling~?_

_Your reply cost me my sanity, so I'm entitled to defend myself. At least._

_Good night._

_I'm fantastic, since I'm talking to you! *heart*_

_What?! Are you sick?!_

_Damn. I thought I'd finally be rid of you._

_Happy New Year, S. And you're welcome._

The second row was written in light blue icing, unlike the first, which had been in white, and he frowned for a second before the reason why finally struck him.

The first row had been some of S's texts to him. The second had been Kaito's to S.

_If that's the case, then what's the last row? _Kaito wasted no time in examining the bottom row, which was written in white icing.

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

All of the chocolates in the bottom row read _I love you._

Going red, Kaito jolted up to stare at S. "You never said I –"

"I love you," said S calmly.

Struck speechless, Kaito could only sit, gawk, and listen.

"While it's true that I don't even know your real name, I think I can accurately say that I've fallen in love with you." S eyed Kaito. "And if what you said about your heart beating fast is true, then I think you might've fallen for me as well."

_What?_

"This is... I…"

S lifted his eyebrows - tanzanite blue underneath a pair of sculpted lines - and Kaito internally melted.

_Okay then._

"...Maybe you're right," Kaito managed, looking down.

"Maybe?" S asked, a grin breaking out on his face, and Kaito couldn't look away.

"Okay," Kaito said softly, smiling himself. "You're right."

S watched him for a long moment, pensive, before remarking, "You know, I think this might be fate."

"And I think that might be a line," Kaito smirked, and S only grinned before diving in and kissing Kaito. Kaito only managed a startled sound before his lips were being smothered and he was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything else.

Finally S pulled back. "You know, I think I know why I love you." He paused. "Oh, by the way, my name is Kudou Shinichi."

"Kuroba Kaito."

There was a second's pause.

"Kaito?"

"Shinichi?" Kaito secretly enjoyed the way the name tasted complete.

Shinichi grinned. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kaito."

Kaito blinked, temporarily mystified, before replying, "Happy Valentine's Day, Shinichi."

* * *

**...And it isn't even Valentine's Day. *is a fail***

**GAAAAAH. This took me forever to write because SCHOOL and HOMEWORK and ESSAYS and SYLLABUSES and UGH WHYYYY.**

**OH! Before I forget! Happy belated birthday, Hakuba Saguru! I hope this year will be as filled with me using you as a plot device and shipping you with Aoko as the last was!**

**...**

**Anyway, uh, sorry for OOC-ness and overly sweet fluff?**

**Hope you like it! If you did, drop me a review and I'll cry of happiness. Thanks *heart***

**- Luna**


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